A Manhattan store takes the consignment shop to a higher level, giving an array of designer furnishings, vintage pieces, and artworks a second life

When Bruce Tilley began making plans to open a high-end furniture consignment store in Manhattan, he tried to check out the competition. He found none. "I kept looking," he says, "because I figured I was missing something."

His hunch that he'd discovered an untapped market paid off last December, when he opened Decor NYC. One early consignor was a decorator who'd been paying hundreds of dollars per month to store 20 pieces purchased for clients who deemed the items too big, too small, or otherwise inappropriate. Another customer had downsized apartments; she needed to get rid of some things and find new ones to complement the furniture she'd kept. "People get promotions, they lose jobs, they get married, get divorced, move to bigger apartments, move to smaller apartments—it's never-ending," says Tilley.

Storage space is elusive in Manhattan, but the basement below the 6,000-square-foot store allows Tilley to keep the showroom airy and uncluttered. Dramatic tableaux highlight such standout pieces as a 19th-century Biedermeier table and a seven-foot, red-patent-leather sofa. Other recent finds include a 1950s Harvey Probber daybed and Lucite chairs covered in a Missoni fabric. (The store gives consignors 50 percent of the sale price.)

In addition to the furniture, Tilley is working with former art dealer Pamela Auchincloss to offer a selection of artworks, both consigned by owners and sold directly by artists. "Many people who collect art, their taste grows, just as it does with furnishings," says Auchincloss. "The store functions as an entry-level buying opportunity for someone not ready to buy in a gallery." And while the striking sofas and tables in the windows get people into the store, what's on the walls may open their eyes to even greater decorating possibilities. "They come in to browse the furniture," says Auchincloss, "and walk out with art instead."